1. Find a photo or image from this summers’ writing journey that represents your experience participating in Teachers Write.

2. Describe the scene by making a “list poem” of the feelings, thoughts, insights, struggles, triumphs, discoveries, friendships, etc. of your experience.

3. Share your poem on your own blog. Better yet, share with Kate and all the others who made Teachers Write possible! 🙂

Here is the original post I based this exercise on. This could be a fun back-to-school exercise to do with kids, choosing their best summer memory. Or an end-of-school exercise, choosing their best classroom memory. It helps the writers see how important tiny images/details are in conveying the depth and deeper meaning of the “big picture.”

2. Describe the scene by making a “list poem” of the feelings, thoughts, smells, sights, tastes, etc. of the captured moment.

a table spread with warm dishes from 7 different homespiles of boots and shoes by the door6 guitars2 ukelelessong books scattered across the coffee tablea plate of pumpkin whoopie pies and cake ballsbalanced on a copy of Rise Up Singingthere is a carefully-guarded glass of pomegranate cosmos under the chairand someone is sipping whiskey from a coffee muga glass of wine keeps the cosmos companyand all over, there are scattered juice boxes left half full by the herd of children that runs upstairsdownstairsupstairsdownstairsthere is singing off key on key off keythe children stop to danceand sometimes singthen off they go back upstairsdownstairsthey sneak a cake ball from the tableupstairsdownstairsand a hug from a parentheads gather around an ipad screensearching for songs on YouTubeor is that Angry Birds they’re playing?someone doesn’t admit she still isn’t sure what that iswe date ourselves with songs from the 80’sthere might have been Guns N Rosesand Neil Diamond? No, not possiblebut there is laughterand the warmth from a wood stoveand from the arm of a friend slung tight around a shoulderthere is music loudand music quieta boy gets brave and sings his favorite song to loving earsthere are hugs good-byeand promises for another gatheringsoonthere’s an open doorand black skyand spits of whiteand jokes that it can’t be what we know it isthere is a quiet drive homeand talks of how nice it isto have such dear friends

3. Share yours on your own blog. Leave a comment with the link so we can find it! 🙂